Mutaurwa Mapondera
About the Ryoshi
Mutaurwa Mapondera
GENTEN: First Steps
21.11.2011
Kobe, Japan
All journeys, have to begin with a few, humble first steps. While its products may have reached iconic status worldwide, Onitsuka Tiger began with one man and a unique vision.
In the summer of 2011, Mutaurwa Mapondera took his first trip to Onitsuka Tiger's hometown of Kobe, Japan in order to understand that vision; to discover where it came from and understand how it could influence the future. Digging to the roots of the brand's deep history, Mutaurwa interviewed five men reverentially referred to as “the Legends.”
Playing influential roles in the nascent days of the company, each Legend had a unique perspective on how the brand came to be, and working closely with Mr. Onitsuka himself, each one made indelible contributions to the legacy of Onitsuka Tiger.
In the first of three episodes, Mutaurwa talks to two legends about the influence that the city of Kobe had on the companyâ s character and ideals.
Reflecting on their experiences, each Legend shared their views on Mr. Onitsuka, his leadership, his philosophies, and how the next generation can carry on and extend his vision.
Stay tuned for episodes 2 and 3 coming in 2012.
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Néojaponisme
About the Ryoshi
Neojaponisme is a critical online journal that examines Japanese culture, both popular and unpopular - from politics to aesthetics, fashion to literature. Founded in 2007 by W. David Marx and Ian Lynam, Neojaponisme is viewed as one of the leading sources of information about contemporary Japanese culture.
Catalogue Heritage
22.08.2011
Nagoya, Japan
Ryoichi Tsunekawa has been interested in graphic design, physics and architecture since he was a child. This made him into a devoted and skilled designer of typefaces. Being inspired by signage, old packages, posters and vernacular design he wants to continue working on his passion: designing creative things.
For this project Ryoichi Tsunekawa discovered beautiful and fine designed logos and letterings on Onitsuka Tiger's catalogues. Taking inspiration from this he built a super heavy, geometric and brash style typeface which brings retro aesthetics and a contemporary feel to life.
Check out his work here.
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Richard Kilroy
About the Ryoshi
Richard Kilroy expresses his love for fashion through intricate, photo realistic hand drawn images while also publishing Decoy Magazine.
FINE DRESS by Richard Kilroy
04.10.2011
Liverpool, UK
The shoes in our FINE DRESS collection were inspired by Golf and Bowling sneakers from the Onitsuka Tiger archive, however they feature materials and tooling suited for the halls of a Japanese private member's club rather than a bowling alley or a golf course. Featuring Japanese indigo dyed fabrics, cordura technical fabrics and rich leathers, the pieces speak not only to the brand's sports heritage, but also the dedication of Onitsuka Tiger to subtle design and intricate, inventive fabrication. The resulting pieces are a sophisticated and rebellious combination of sports and fashion.
One of Japan's greatest rebels of style was actor, screenwriter and director Kinji Fukasaku. He is well known for his work on Tora! Tora! Tora! and Battle Royale but one could argue that his greatest films were the series of Yakuza films that he directed in the 1970's. Films like Battles Without Honor and Humanity brought a new kind of character to the Japanese screen: a gentleman/thief who would walk into a bar impeccably dressed before starting a fistfight that left the establishment in shambles. Draped in long overcoats, their eyes shaded by dark sunglasses and their hands stuffed in leather gloves, Fukasaku's characters brought a rakish, masculine cool to the screen that western directors like Quentin Tarantino are still mining today.
Talented illustrator Richard Kilroy was inspired by the FINE DRESS collection and Fukasaku's films and created a series of illustrations. Styling and positioning his models in a way that recalls both the golf course and the smokey backroom of a seedy dive bar, Richard was able to combine the maturity and edginess of the collection seamlessly. Styling and photographing live models including fellow-Liverpudlian Daniel Whittaker, then recreating their forms in expressively incomplete pencil illustrations, Richard broke the FINE DRESS collection down to its rawest form. Combining East with West, sport with fashion, heritage with innovation, and luxury with danger, Richard Kilroy's illustrations express the essence of the FINE DRESS collection.
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A Polaroid Story
About the Ryoshi
A Polaroid Story, is the personal blog of Model/Writer Elizabeth Ouni. Her blog is a window into her endless hunt to capture the most exciting talents in music and pop culture on Polaroid film while facing hardcore fans, management, bodyguards, security and protective entourages.
Nippon Sounds
04.07.2011
Los Angeles, USA and Tokyo, Japan
A Polaroid Story, is the personal blog of Model/Writer Elizabeth Ouni. Her blog is a window into her endless hunt to capture the most exciting talents in music and pop culture on Polaroid film while facing hardcore fans, management, bodyguards, security and protective entourages.
Take a look behind the creation of Donnis’ latest EP, Nippon Sounds. Download the 4-song EP featuring production from DE DE MOUSE, Joe Iron, and Taku Takahashi. Then take a look at behind-the-scenes footage featuring Donnis and DE DE MOUSE in the studio and exclusive interviews with the stars on A Polarioid Story.
Download the project for free here
http://soundcloud.com/nipponsounds
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Ryu Itadani
About the Ryoshi
Ryu Itadani fits the template of the aloof artist in many ways. He is extremely talented, with a unique style that uses multiple perspectives to create a single flat, almost warped image. Never basking in the spotlight of his accolades he dedicates 100% of his focus on his craft as a painter. Drawing and painting every piece by hand, Itadani's work has been exhibited in London, Hong Kong, and Seoul as well as his native Tokyo.
Ryu Itadani's website is a clean look at the artist's work and his three biggest inspirations: "City," "Things," and "Flowers."
Things
13.06.2011
Berlin, Germany
One of Ryu Itadani's most consistent sources of inspiration are the physical objects around him. Viewing his "things" as more than inanimate objects, Itadani believes that he has a better relationship with the objects he interacts with on a day to day basis, than most of the people he deals with. In these things, he sees pieces of himself; chairs, salt shakers, water bottles and all take on new character in Itadani's paintings, in their own way, his paintings of the things that he likes are self portraits, each one representing a different corner of the his character.
Enamored by the original colourway of the MEXICO 66, Itadani chose to make it the subject of his latest painting. First he created a series of sketches that depicted the MEXICO 66 and its box in his unique style, then he chose to handpaint the sneaker on a canvas that will be exhibited across Europe.
See more of the artist and his views on art in our exclusive interview with Ryu Itadani on Vimeo.
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Shoes-Up
About the Ryoshi
Shoes up launched their quarterly magazine and website ten years ago. Their main occupation: Ideas Editor. They love to work on Not a Gross National Product but a Cool National Product, something they see as a shared value for both France and Japan.
Boxed Stories
16.05.2011
Paris, France
Together with close friends & artists, Shoes-up imagined the concept “Histoires en boîtes” (Boxed Stories). The handmade installation was based on the idea that the story of the shoe is told through the shoebox. The shoebox travels around the world containing the shoes. The shoebox protects the shoes and its brand’s history. The shoebox is the first contact the consumer has with the purchased product. The shoebox is the sanctuary that keeps the stories of a pair of shoes. Shoes-Up imagined the journey of the California ‘78, from Japan to the US. Made of Japan and based on popularization of jogging at that time, in both Japan and the United States of America. Open its shoeboxes to see the stories. Open the California ’78 box.
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Team Lab
About the Ryoshi
TEAMLAB is a group of Ultra Technologists that have been active in Tokyo since 2001. Led by Toshiyuki Inoko, The group consists of a wide diversity of specialists including; Programmers, Network Engineers, Designers, Robot Engineers, Architects, CG Animators, Mathematicians and more. TEAMLAB carries out activities across a range of media, from developing web and robot technology, to installation art, video art and spatial design, making the border between Technology, Art, and Design more ambiguous.
MIDORI
06.05.2011
Tokyo, Japan
Inspired by the Japanese Spring, Japanese Ultra Technologists created Sketch Piston 5: MIDORI, as an interactive game that asks the player to create a piece of music using a simple set of childlike tools. Different stamps and characters are available to add to the melody, helping the player create a symphony of sounds that can be shared with friends on Facebook and twitter.
Scribble, draw, share and most of all have fun!
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Takayuki Akachi
About the Ryoshi
Takayuki Akachi’s blog serves as a travel diary from the director/voyager as he circles the globe on various projects. Check Akachi-san’s blog to see his newest project “Many Steps,” come together.
Many Steps
15.03.2011
Worldwide
Takayuki Akachi is a filmmaker who uses film as a medium to communicate the depth and breadth of the human experience, with a rhythmic film making style that is all his own. Turning everyday life into art, Takayuki's sense of detail and presence in every moment results in films that take the most common elements of people's lives and turns them into a symphony of sounds and images that instantly capture the viewer. Inspired by the smallest gestures and expressions, Takayuki's films play like rapid-fire travel logs of his globe-spanning journeys.
As Onitsuka Tiger's most iconic shoe, the MEXICO 66 has been adopted by millions of people around the world as their sneaker of choice. Since its release more than 40 years ago, the MEXICO 66 has graduated from an innovative track shoe, to a flexible and stylish low profile sneaker.
Celebrating the diversity of a global culture Akachi and his MEXICO 66's travelled to 10 cities around the world, capturing all of the sights and sounds he came across. The result is "Many Steps" a film that joyfully celebrates the richness of human diversity.
Visit Akachi-san's blog to see how the project developed, and tune into his vimeo page to see the completed film.
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Reality Studio
About the Ryoshi
The designer behind the Reality Studio label is Svenja Specht. Svenja graduated in fashion and product design in 1998. After working in Paris, Beijing and Germany in the fields of graphic, product and fashion design, in 2005 she returned to her home town Berlin and started her own fashion label called Reality Studio.
Reality Studio
25.02.2011
Berlin
Svenja designs pieces that combine multicultural influences with an androgynous elegance, making her clothing both unique and highly wearable. This summer the Reality Studio collection was shown in Paris, Berlin, Tokyo and Copenhagen and is sold across Europe, Asia and the US. Since Onitsuka Tiger and fashion label Reality Studio both have an open-minded approach and are curious to try new things. It is therefore no surprise that they decided to join forces and create a new and exciting footwear design, the FABRE LIGHT RS.
The model is inspired by Native Americans, their lives, art and culture. It is also based on Princess Mononoke, a character from a 1997 Japanese animated historical fantasy feature film by manga artist Hayao Miyazaki. In the same way as the North American Indians, Princess Mononoke has a special relationship with nature, animals and their spirits.
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Soma Design
About the Ryoshi
Soma Design is a design group seeking to "design with a free mind". They carry out comprehensive visual direction and design that combine diverse fields including fashion, graphics, illustration and sounds.
Soma Design
11.03.2011
Tokyo, Japan
Soma Design's open-minded approach to design informs all of their work. Even with a wide portfolio of work that includes fashion, graphics, illustration and sound-design, the freewheeling character of the collective is evident throughout.
Inspired by Onitsuka Tiger's long-standing love affair with Basketball, Soma Design decided to create a piece dedicated to the FABRE BL-S. First worn as the signature shoe of 1970 NBA Rookie of the Year Dave Cowens, the FABRE was the culmination of several years of trial-and-error research performed by our founder Kihachiro Onitsuka in the gyms of several Kobe-area high schools.
Reborn as a sleek vintage sneaker, the FABRE is enriched by its deep history, not weighed down by it. Soma Design used 3D and 2D animation as well as a host of special effects to illustrate the shoe's passage through time, as well as Onitsuka Tiger's continued dedication to craftsmanship and authenticity.
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Silent Running
About the Ryoshi
"Silent Running" is the day to day web Journal of Artist Emeric "Takeshi" Trahand. An artist to the core, Takeshi captures moments throughout his daily life through photography that gives an insight to the artist's day-to-day inspiration as well as looks into his artistic process as he transforms simple photographs in to surreal landscapes that draw from his multiple sources of inspiration.
LimberUp Moscow
11.01.2011
Brooklyn, New York, USA
The LimberUp Moscow was designed as a training shoe for Japanese athletes at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Unfortunately it would never serve in this capacity because Japan joined the US-led Boycott against the games, and refused to send athletes to the Soviet Union.
History's account of the Moscow Olympics is usually clouded by tales of the controversy caused by the boycott. A story that is often overshadowed by the boycott controversy was the growing prominence and emergence of female athletes in the Games. In the 1980 Olympics, Women were given a higher representation than in any previous Olympic Games, and female athletes set several world records--many of which still stand today.
Inspired by the flourishing of female talent and energy present at the Olympic Games, Emeric "Takeshi" Trahand chose to represent and pay tribute to the inspirational women of the 1980 Olympics by using Japanese Ikebana flower arrangement as a symbol of feminine energy and achievement. Rediscovering his Japanese influence, Takeshi created three illustrations that celebrate not only his and Onitsuka Tiger's shared Japanese artistic heritage, but also gave a striking, colourful tribute to our historical commitment to sports and achievement over controversy and politics.
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Yoske Nishiumi
About the Ryoshi
The personal blog of the Creative Director of German-based Koi Klub. Yoske Nishiumi's blog gives readers and insight into his various projects, quirky tastes and musings on creativity.
Family and Friends
09.01.2011
Berlin, Germany
Onitsuka Tiger will be displaying its upcoming collaborations with Koi Klub, McQueen, Reality Studio and Tillmann Lauterbach. The event, titled Family and Friends, will take place at a temporary gallery space during Berlin Fashion Week.
Drawing from our brand's Japanese heritage, Koi Klub Creative Director and frequent Onitsuka-Tiger-collaborator Yoske Nishiumi is designing a unique space to house these unique products. The space will feature Japanese accouterments that speak to Yoske's eye for craftsmanship while showcasing exciting new designs from our brand.
As Yoske works towards the gallery's opening on Wednesday January 19th, he will share his progress on his personal blog. We invite you to take a look behind the scenes of this unique event from concept to opening.
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